


I'm Not a Winter Kind of Cat

by princessamaterasu



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Cat, F/M, Friendship, Love, Pancakes, Reader-Insert, Romance, Shapeshifting, Supernatural Elements, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 20:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1913295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessamaterasu/pseuds/princessamaterasu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Normal girls don't turn into cats, but I'm not a normal girl. Living with Matthew was the best choice I ever made. He doesn't care that I transform when I get scared or have an irrational fear if water. But what happens when the first snowflakes start to fall? Canada x Neko!Reader</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who asked for a sequel to I'm Not a Catnip Kind of Girl, here it is :) It's not required that you have read the other story to understand this one, so I hope you all enjoy this. Happy reading!
> 
> I do not own Hetalia :/

I wait patiently in the shade of a large maple tree. Usually I'm not so good with that whole sitting still thing, but recently I've gotten better. There's a large squirrel hunched over a few feet away, completely unaware of my presence. My tail gives a small twitch of excitement, and the squirrel lifts its head in response. Okay, maybe I haven't completely mastered pretending to be a statue. The furry woodland creature lowers its guard and turns away. It's the perfect opportunity for me to strike. I creep forward with one furry paw, and then another.

"(Y/n)! Breakfast is ready!"

The shout scares my prey. It darts quickly up the maple and disappears into the red and orange leaves. I sigh and stand. Crouching for so long made my legs a little stiff, so I give each a good stretch before turning around. I knew who would be waiting for me even before I turned around, and wasn't surprised in the least to see Matthew standing there in the doorway with a plate of pancakes in his hand.

"I almost had that," I mumbled.

"Are you terrorizing the squirrels now? You know you're the reason birds don't come here anymore, right?"

"It's not my fault that they're dumb enough for me to catch, and I'm not even a real cat." Yeah, I should probably mention that I'm a cat. Sometimes. And I can talk as a cat too. I feel my spine elongate and stretch as I turn back into a human. "I'm not going to eat them or anything."

"They don't know that," Matthew says.

I sneeze loudly and shiver. It was starting to get pretty cold outside, and I hadn't been wearing much when I first shifted into a cat. Whatever I wear before I change is what I wear after I turn back, and I happened to have only a t-shirt and shorts on before I morphed. I really should stop shifting right after waking up. It makes changing back and having nothing but pajamas on kind of awkward.

"Okay, I promise not to chase them around anymore, if you give me those pancakes."

Matthew considers my offer and lifts the plate high above his head and out of my reach. "You'll have to come and get them."

I grin. I know what he's getting at. We've played this game before often enough. I move closer to him and place a finger on his nose. "You're not playing fair," I murmur.

"That's what you get for chasing helpless animals around the yard."

I bring my face closer to his and whisper as seductively as possible. "Maybe I won't play fair either."

His face turns a bright red. Even though we've been together for a while now, Matthew still tends to be more hesitant than me when it comes to getting physical. That's not to say that he can't. He's just a shy sweetheart that has never really been in love before. Not that I'm one to talk.

I lean in closer and place a soft, teasing kiss on his cheek, right near the corner of his lips. He tries to hide his gasp, and I know that it's killing him to not give in right here and now. I up the ante. My arms wrap around his chest, and I put a few more kisses around his lips. With slow, careful movements, I start to untie and remove the apron he's wearing. Once that's done, I reach up to twirl the long curl that falls over his face around my finger.

"You're not doing so well, Mattie," I whisper in his ear.

"T-that's because y-you're ch-ch-cheating."

"Those pancakes are mine."

"W-what?"

Before he can react, I jump up and grab the plate of pancakes. Then I run into the house to find someplace to hide. It won't take Matthew long to figure out what happened. I laugh softly to myself as I crawl into one of the kitchen cabinets and close the door. It's one of the few hiding places I fit in both as a cat and a person. It's also one of the places that I'm pretty sure Matthew doesn't know about. I would be able to eat my pancakes in peace.

"Syrup," I mutter to myself. "I need syrup."

As quietly as possible, I open the cabinet door and sneak out. One of the perks of being a cat girl is that I'm usually pretty good at being stealthy as a human too. Sometimes I like to jump out at Matthew from behind some furniture and give him a good scare. He hates it.

I pad across the kitchen quietly. Maybe he left the syrup lying on the table in the dining room or something. I peek my head into that room to make sure he's not in there already. The coast looks clear. Just as I had suspected, the large bottle of syrup is sitting next to two set places at the table. The table is actually big enough to seat a lot of people, but we only ever use one side of it. I asked Matthew a while ago why he needed such a humongous table, and he mentioned something about having a lot of people over for meetings sometimes. Since I came to live with him this past summer, I haven't seen a single one of those people. It doesn't really matter though because I had what I came for.

The bottle of syrup is pretty big since the two of us go through a lot of that stuff. We eat a ton of pancakes. I tip the bottle over the warm stack, and golden syrup oozes out. I've probably got an unhealthy addiction it.

"Found you!"

Matthew's sudden appearance scares me so much that I kind of throw the syrup up into the air like an idiot. Of course that means I'm now covered in a sticky mess. I also accidentally transform into a cat. That tends to happen whenever I get too weak or emotionally agitated. Apparently, getting spooked counts.

"Dang it, Matthew!" I wipe syrup off my whiskers the best that I can. "I'm going to have to take another bath, and you know how much I hate baths." That's all part of being a cat girl. I'm not fond of water at all, except the drinking kind.

He looks apologetic and takes a step closer to me. "O-oh! I didn't mean for that to happen. I'm so sorry."

I'm not really unhappy with him. How could I be after seeing that sad face? I give him a flick of my pointy ears. "It's okay. Maybe I won't have to take a bath after all," I say as an idea comes to me.

I've got syrup all over my fur, but luckily cat tongues are made especially with cleaning in mind. Starting with my paws, I eventually work my way down to the tip of my tail. I flick it back and forth with satisfaction as my (h/c) fur shines. Even as a cat, I think I'm allowed to have some pride in how I look. I finally move on to my head, which is the hardest to clean. I have to lick my paw, and then wipe that across my head. It takes an eternity and a half to get all the syrup out.

"Done," I say with relief. "Let's never do that again."

"I agree." Matthew strokes my now clean head. "It's interesting to watch you as a cat. Sometimes I forget that you're a person too."

"I'm glad to know you like me as a cat best."

"That's not what I meant." He picks me up and cradles me in his arms. I breathe in his scent happily. He always smells like trees and grass. It's one of the best parts about him and smells ten times better when I'm a cat. "I like all of you, (y/n)."

"I know." It's hard to resist him when he's being adorable. I melt looking into his blue eyes. "I like all of you too, especially when you make pancakes."

He laughs at that. "Sometimes I think your heart and your stomach are connected."

"I blame that on the cat part of me." I sit up in his lap and give my tail a flick.

"I'm actually kind of happy that I got to scare you for once," he says with a grin.

"That was a fluke!" I let my cat instincts take over and start batting the curl in front of Matthew's face. "I won't let it happen again."

"Oh really?" He gives me a light poke in the side, and I jump away from him in surprise.

"Don't do that!"

"I didn't expect you to be so ticklish, (y/n), but it's the only way to get you off my pillow at night."

If I could blush as a cat, I would. I have my own room, but more often than not I sleep in Matthew's. Sometimes it was as a human, but usually as a cat. I already know that I sleep on his pillows since that's where I tend to plop myself every night. What I didn't know is that he would tickle me to get me off. I didn't even know that I'm ticklish until now. This could be problematic.

He reaches out and pokes me again before I can get away. A strange cross between a hiss and a laugh comes flying out of my mouth. I can feel the fur on the back of my neck standing on end, and keep a close eye on Matthew. There's no doubt that he's going to try to get me back for all those times I scared him.

"One step closer and the claws come out," I warn.

His eyes go wide. "You wouldn't." To prove that I mean business, I let my claws slide out and make sure he sees them. That'll show him not to tickle me. But his reaction isn't what I expected. He crosses his arms and smiles. "Okay, then no more kisses."

Dang it. He knows me too well. Curse me and my lack of self-control. "Fine." I retract my claws and look up at him with pleading feline eyes.

It seems like he can't resist me either because it doesn't take long for him to give in and pick me up. I shift back into my human form and give him a kiss on the nose while he continues to carry me. We stare into each other's eyes for a while and enjoy the moment. This is why I came all the way to Canada in the first place. It wasn't for the nature or the pancakes, even though those are a big plus. I came here to be with Matthew. He's one of the few people in the world who accepts me for me, fur and all.

He makes the first move. I actually secretly enjoy it when he takes the lead. His warm lips touch mine, and my heart takes off. I can never keep it under control whenever he's around. It flutters like a little bird in my chest as I return his kiss. He sets me down on the table and deepens the kiss by tilting my head back. His tongue flicks out to lick away the last of the syrup from my lips, and I let out a little squeal of happiness. My legs are still locked around his waist, but my hands start to stray up toward his wavy hair. He tastes just like maple syrup and pancakes.

"I love you," I whisper when we break for air. We lean our foreheads together and breathe in unison.

"I love you too," he says in a voice that sends chills down my spine. And this time, it was definitely not because of the weather.


	2. Chapter 2

It's been a few weeks since the whole pancake incident. The weather has gotten a lot colder, and I don't like it one bit. Even my extra fur coat doesn't help with the numbing chill that fills the outside air. Matthew's the only one that seems to be enjoying this at all. He walks around outside humming while he rakes up all the leaves that have fallen from the trees.

"It's going to snow soon," he says happily as he comes into the house. I sit watching him from a cushioned chair near the window.

"Great. Absolutely great." I can't even fake any enthusiasm in my voice.

"It's not that bad." He takes off his hat and gloves and stuff them into his coat pocket.

"Maybe for you."

Matthew places a gentle kiss on my forehead, which forces a small smile to my lips. I can't stay grouchy near him for long. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, but Alfred's coming over for a while."

"What? Why? For how long?"

"Just because. And no one knows," he tells me with a laugh. "He's my brother, but even I don't know what he's planning."

I rolled my eyes in agreement. Alfred was the one who got us together, but his methods were far from conventional. It's almost impossible to know what's going on in that airhead's mind. He can't even see his own brother half the time, and the other half he's too busy goofing around to know what's going on. Or at least that's how he makes it seem. Like I said, it's next to impossible to know what he's really thinking. I guess I shouldn't be so hard on the guy since he did do me a big favor this past summer.

"Okay, so when's he coming?" I ask.

"Today."

I'm not sure whether I should be upset or amused. Leave it to Alfred to show up without warning. "When today?"

"In a few hours." Matthew sits down in a plush chair next to the fireplace. A roaring fire keeps the living room warm and cozy, so I tend to spend a lot of time there. I quickly cross the room and sit on his lap. He embraces me with his arms. "I have to pick him up from the airport."

"Is Tony coming?" I question. The gray alien had been in Alfred's penthouse in New York when I had been there, but I hadn't seen much of him.

"No, I don't think so," he answers, although he frowns as if unsure.

There were plenty of other questions bouncing around my mind like a pinball machine, but I didn't feel like asking them. Matthew smelled so good that I was happy just snuggling up in his arms. His fingers strayed toward my hair, and he pressed a couple of locks to his lips.

"You smell wonderful," he whispers.

I laugh softly. "So do you."

He pressed his whole face into my hair and breathes deeply. "Mmm. Better than pancakes."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm."

I turn my head to face him. His lips land softly on mine, and their playful dance begins. My head spins around so fast that it was hard for me to keep my thoughts straight. Matthew holds me close as his tongue asks for permission to enter. I don't hesitate to let him in. We playfully wrestle until we break to gasp for air. He leans in and presses his lips against my temple. I press myself closer to him and sigh.

"I have to go," he murmurs against my forehead.

"He can get a cab," I argue.

"(Y/n), don't be silly."

"I'm being purrrfectly serious." I laugh at my own joke, and Matthew grins slightly too. For extra leverage, I let myself shrink into my cat form and bat my irresistible kitty eyes.

"I won't be long," he says as he stands with me in his arms. I probably could play rough and sink my needle sharp claws into his jacket and cause a big fuss, but instead I let him set me down on the chair with a huff. "Don't get into trouble."

"Me? Trouble?" I pretend to be hurt and dramatically lay a paw over my forehead.

"It's still weird to see you act like a human when you're a cat."

"I could start my own reality tv show. I'd call it 'Cat Girl', and all it would be is me doing weird things as a cat."

"Do I get to be in your show?"

I give my tail a thoughtful flick. "Maybe…if you're good."

He smiles softly and gives me a quick scratch behind the ear. "Do you want to come with me? I'm sure Alfred will be happy to see you."

"Sitting in a freezing cold car while waiting for the engine to warm up, or stay curled up on this chair next to a warm fire…hmmm. What a tough choice."

"Okay, okay. I'm leaving now," he says with a laugh. He quickly stuffs his hat back on his head before heading for the door. I wave a paw goodbye, and then the door clicks shut. "Well, it's just me, myself, and I."

I hop down from the chair and pad over to the fireplace. A braided rug sits within its warm glow, and I stretch out comfortably on it. He's only been gone for like thirty seconds, but I miss Matthew already. Blast this cold weather. By chance, I let my gaze wander toward the window and nearly jump out of my fur. Bits of white swirl down from the sky and stick to the windowpane. I scramble to my feet and climb up on the windowsill.

"No, no, no, no, no," I hiss when I see what's outside. A thin layer of snow had already started to cover everything outside in horrible, wet cold. "Nononononono."

I lightly drop to the floor and begin pacing. It's not like I had ever seen snow before, but I really didn't like the stuff. Somehow it hadn't occurred to me that it might actually snow up here. Gosh, I'm an idiot. It's Canada. Of course it snows here. And lots of it too. I try to get my breathing under control and flatten the fur on the back of my neck, but I'm too worked up over the stupid snow to calm down. Too many cold winter nights sleeping under park benches have given me an extreme dislike of the stuff. I never dream of a white Christmas, and Frosty can go jump in a volcano for all I care. I really don't like snow.

My pace eventually slows enough for me to attempt clearing my head. Snow's really not that bad if I'm not in it. I can feel my heart settling down at the thought. All I have to do is stay inside and I'll be perfectly fine. There's a warm fire right here, and not a single reason for me to go outside. I curl up into a tight ball on the rug and think only about breathing and the warm glow on my back. There's nothing to worry about if I stay right here. It's so relaxing that I don't even realize that I fell asleep until the cuckoo clock starts chirping away.

That thing drives me nuts because I really want to get that silly bird that keeps popping out of there, but Matthew gets nervous when I even look at the clock. He said it was a gift from a friend who made it himself and doesn't want me to break it. Without really thinking, I count how many times that bird chirps as the clock chimes. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Six? That means Matthew left almost two hours ago. It doesn't take someone two hours to pick someone up from the airport, or at least I don't think it does.

I can feel my tail starting to bristle already. No, I should stay calm. There's really nothing that could have gone wrong. Alfred probably told him the wrong time or something. That sounds like an Alfred thing to do. I reason with myself as my feet move automatically toward the window. I'm not sure why I'm going there, but I'm afraid of what I'll find. My heart stops once I see what's outside.

The whole world is one big sheet of white. It kind of reminds me of what my arms look like when I don't get a lot of sun, and a scratchy, strangled laugh gets caught in my throat. How is it possible for this much snow to have fallen in just two hours? My mind quickly races through every possible scenario that's causing Matthew's tardiness. None of them are good. Maybe he slid on some ice and hit his head on the ground, or his car slid on ice and he's stuck in a ditch somewhere. Maybe the accident caused him to have amnesia and wander around completely lost. Maybe he suddenly developed a second personality that's like the complete opposite of him and is terrorizing some people somewhere with a hockey stick!

"Crap, crap, crap!" I pound on my head with my furry paws. "Think! What do I do?"

I try shifting back into my human form, but that idea doesn't go far. Apparently, I'm too worked up to be able to transform. Perfect. That leaves me with only one option that I'm not thrilled about in any way, shape, or form. I have to go outside. No one else knows that he's out there, so it's up to me to rescue him. I look toward the little swinging door Matthew had installed on the bottom of the front door for me, and I would frown if cats had that ability. I would've freaking called the police if cats had that ability. But we don't.

"Dang it, Matthew. You have to live in Canada of all places." I shoot through the pet door before I have a chance to change my mind while mumbling something about the Bahamas. There's no going back now.


	3. Chapter 3

The worst kinds of profanity come flying out of my mouth as soon as I hit the snow outside. I really shouldn't have just jumped out the door without thinking. Sometimes I amaze myself with my own stupidity. I can't believe I made it so long on my own. The cold instantly stings my mouth, nose, and eyes and creeps its way into my fur. I sneeze violently, which causes a clump of snow to fall on my face. This is not one of my shining moments.

Being the graceful snow cat that I am, I start to flail my way through the white powder in the direction I think Matthew went. This much snow wouldn't cause me much trouble if I was a human, but that's not exactly an option right now. My heart is beating a mile a minute and not showing signs of slowing down. I keep flopping through the snow until my head collides with something hard. Black spots and stars join the snowflakes in my vision. Once my sight clears, I see exactly what it was that I ran into.

It was the front step. Somehow I had gotten myself turned around and walked back toward the house instead of away from it. I let out a hiss of hurt and frustration as I gingerly feel the lump that is beginning to form on my head. At least I don't have to go back inside for an icepack. I flick the snow from my ears and try to come up with some kind of plan. Anything will do as long as it doesn't involve hitting my head on anything else.

Without much thought, I pick a direction and start to walk. I have to half dig, half walk my way through the snow, which is still falling at a decent pace. If I don't find Matthew soon, I might end up buried under the snow. I change directions a bit and continue to forge a path through the freshly fallen powder. My pads are so numb that I can hardly feel them, but I can feel the bits of ice getting stuck in between them. I have to stop occasionally and use my rough tongue to give my paws a good lick.

I feel like I've been walking forever. Everything looks the same out here. I force myself to keep going, but my limbs grow steadily heavier with each step. That might have something to do with the snow that's starting to pile on my back, or it's the cold sapping all of my strength. Either way, I can't walk another step. I collapse in a ragged heap while sucking in the cold air. My lungs are probably covered in a layer of frost. Poor Matthew. I tried so hard to find him, but this is the end. My eyes slip shut, and my breaths become shallow.

"(Y/n)?" Something pokes me in the face.

"God, is that you? Am I dead? That was fast," I say in a hoarse whisper.

"Dude, what the heck did you do to her?"

"I-I didn't do anything!" a familiar voice insists. "I don't know why she's out here!"

I let my eyes crack open and instantly regret it. Big blue eyes watch me from behind a pair of glasses, but they're not the blue eyes I'm familiar with. That can only mean one thing. "Leave me alone, Alfred. I want to die in peace."

"Woah, dude! I can't let you do that!" he practically shouts in my ear. "A hero is supposed to save people!"

Blast my sensitive cat hearing. "Shut up. You're too loud…as always." I mumble the last part hoping he wouldn't hear it.

"(Y/n), are you okay?" My heart flutters at Matthew's voice. I almost forgot he was here.

"I'm glad you're not attacking people with a hockey stick."

"W-what?" He and his brother exchange a look.

"Long story."

"Can you tell it inside? I'm freezing my patooty off," Alfred complains.

"Sure, but I'm kinda stuck here," I tell him. "It's a long walk from the house."

They share another look, and smiles appear on both of their faces. Smug smiles. I don't like it one bit. "The house is right there, (y/n)." Matthew points, and I follow his finger with my eyes. Sure enough, the house is close enough that I can still see the light from the fireplace in the window.

"But I've been out here for like a half hour!" I insist.

"Here, look for yourself." He picks me up and holds me in a way that I can see my path through the snow. It's clear where I fell into the snow, and then hit my head on the front step. Then I smack myself in the face with a paw. I literally just wandered around in circles in the front yard and hardly got anywhere.

"I never want to go outside again," I mutter into Matthew's shoulder.

"It's okay. Sometimes Alfred's path from his room to the bathroom looks like that," he whispers so his brother won't hear.

"Hmm? What was that?" Alfred turns around. "Woah! Don't sneak up behind me like that, bro!"

I don't know whether to sigh or laugh. Between my snow navigation and Alfred not being able to see Matthew, this is going to be a long winter. Wonderful. "Let's just go inside," I suggest.

"I like you're thinking, (y/n)!" Alfred takes off for the house with the two of us close behind.

Once inside, the two men take off their winter gear while I do my best to get all the snow out of my fur. The last thing I need is to catch a cold or hypothermia. Matthew makes us all mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows, which I'm able to drink now that I can turn back into a human. My body shivers as my spine elongates, and I happily accept a warm mug from Matthew.

"Thanks," I say with a smile on my face. I may hate the cold, but I do love hot chocolate.

"Dude, that's still so weird." Alfred takes a sip of cocoa and ends up with a mustache on his face.

"So, what took you two so long?" I ask.

"A lot of different things." Matthew answers as he joins me on the couch. Alfred has the chair we were sitting in earlier, and I try not to blush thinking about it. "The flight was delayed because of the weather, and then it took him a while to finally see me once he arrived."

"Typical."

"Yup, that's me," Alfred agrees. He's about to take another sip when his eyes go wide. "Holy hotdogs, man! How long have you been sitting there, Mattie?"

I take a deep breath and count to three. I don't remember Alfred being this bad at seeing his own brother the last time I was around. "Seriously, Alfred?"

"Nah, dude! I'm just kidding. Gotcha didn't I?" He laughs obnoxiously and chugs down the rest of his cocoa. "But I really didn't see him at the airport," he adds.

"He hasn't changed, has he?" I say to Matthew without humor.

"No, but that's okay." He smiles at me, and there's no trace of the hurt that usually shows up whenever Alfred can't see him. I can't help but smile back. "I know you'll always see me, and that's what matters."

"Aww, you two are as cute as I remember," Alfred says with what can only be called a giggle.

His comment doesn't even bother me. All I see is Matthew. "Do you think he'll mind?" I whisper.

"I don't care," Matthew whispers back. He leans in and kisses me right then and there. My mind wanders back to last summer when we had to hide all this from Alfred because we thought he didn't know. I smile against Matthew's lips and give his bottom one a nibble.

"Okay, okay. You two need to get a room," Alfred mumbles as he leaves the room. I don't know where he's going, but it doesn't really matter. Matthew is holding me close in his arms, and that's all that does.


	4. Chapter 4

"I hate snow," I grumble as more of the fluffy stuff falls from the sky. It seems like that's all that's been happening this last week. Snow, snow, and more snow.

"It's not so bad." Alfred looks up from his book to watch me stare out the window. I was kind of surprised to see him reading when I walked into the living room this morning. "You can make snowheroes and stuff."

"I think we've all seen that I'm not too good at making snow anything."

He laughs thinking about what happened when he arrived last week, but I just frown. I can't even walk in a straight line in the snow, let alone build something out of it. In the back of my mind, I thought of the time I had spent in warmer places. California had been nice, and I've never been to Florida but I expect it's similar. One of the pros of being a cat girl is that I did a lot of traveling. On the other hand, it was usually because I had nowhere to live.

I sigh and push those thoughts away. It's selfish of me to want to wander off to Cali when Matthew's been so kind to me. A little bit of snow is the least I can put up with in exchange for time spent with him. But it's not a little bit of snow. Why did he have to live in Canada of all places?

"I wonder when he'll be back," I say absentmindedly. Matthew had left earlier to run some errands or something and had left the two of us by ourselves.

Alfred doesn't answer. Sometimes I wish it's Alfred running the errands and not Matthew. That way the two of us could be alone without his helplessly nosy brother getting in the way. I don't think Alfred is trying to be annoying, but it happens anyway. He tends to appear when Matthew and I just get started having a moment together. I try not to blush at the thought. It's not like we were doing anything wrong or dirty, so I shouldn't feel embarrassed. Or that's what I keep telling myself.

I'm so lost in thought that I didn't notice Matthew approaching the house until the front door starts to open. I jump from my seat by the window and hurry to meet him.

"You're back!" I exclaim excitedly. I catch him in a big hug without thinking and sprig back when I get covered in snow. "Ah! Cold! Yuck!"

"I was going to warn you," he said apologetically, "but you were too fast."

"Well, now you have to make it up to me." I brush off as much snow as I can. "I've been so bored since you left, and now you've covered me in snow, you meanie."

Matthew hangs his coat on a peg and fixes his glasses on his nose since I knocked them crooked when I jumped him. "How do you want me to make it up?"

"Make me warm."

He smiles and opens his arms. I accept the invitation and leap into his arms, my legs locking around his waist. His soft sweater tickles my cheek and hides just how well toned he really is. He may not seem like it, but Matthew has muscle under the somewhat baggy clothes he wears. I giggle softly while thinking about this as he carries me toward the fireplace. We both freeze when we hear a soft snore. Neither of us remembered that Alfred is still here.

"He's asleep," Matthew tells me since my back is facing the front room and I can't exactly see.

"He was reading earlier."

Matthew's blue eyes go wide. "Really? Alfred?"

"I thought it was strange too." I crane my neck around to get a better look at Alfred. "Wait a minute." With the help of my cat abilities, I quietly jump down and sneak toward the sleeping brother to pull something out from beneath his book. "Go figure." I hold up a comic book for Matthew to see.

He laughs while I roll my eyes. "Maybe we should let him sleep. There's no telling when he'll be this quiet again." I take his hand and pull him toward the kitchen. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," I say with a wink.

On quick feet, I lead him around the house and stop occasionally to give him little kisses. It's like a little game. We eventually end up in his bedroom where we both sit on his bed. I'm not trying to suggest anything. His room is just quiet and out of the way, that's all. We haven't had a moment to ourselves all week, and now that we do, I don't know what to say.

"Matthew, I-"

I'm cut off by his warm lips on mine. I wasn't expecting this, but I probably should have. He's so warm and inviting that I lean into the kiss, begging for more.

"I'm sorry, (y/n). I couldn't help myself," he says slightly out of breath.

My voice comes out as almost a squeak. "I don't mind."

"I've missed having you to myself."

"I know what you mean," I tell him with a laugh.

His hand gently brushes through my hair sending a shiver down my spine. "Are you still cold?"

"No," I sigh happily. "I'm never cold around you."

I let my finger trace lazy circles on his thigh, and I slowly move my hand up to his waist. Then his stomach. Then his chest. Finally, his neck and face. Matthew's hand has meanwhile curled into a fist and clutches my hair. He practically pushes me into another kiss, but I don't try to resist. His smell overwhelms me as his lips coax mine to part slightly. I slide my hand up into his hair while he gives my bottom lip a teasing nibble. We break long enough to breath and change positions. I now straddle his waist, and both of his arms are around me.

"You're jumpy today," he murmurs against my neck. His breathy voice makes me tighten my hold on his waist.

"I guess that's part of being a cat girl." Just out of curiosity, I give his ear a tiny lick, and his breath catches in his throat.

"Is being completely irresistible also part of being a cat girl?"

"Maybe."

I place little kisses from his ear to his chin along his jaw line. One of his hands slides up the back of my shirt pulling it up enough to reveal a thin strip of pale skin along my stomach. I frown slightly as I wonder if he's going to try tickling me again, but the thought quickly disappears as he goes for my lips. We move in sync together like a hand and it's shadow, each movement perfectly mirrored. I gasp when turns and lowers me onto my back, which is followed by a strange sense of being trapped. Usually, I would hate such a feeling, but somewhere in my mind I know it's Matthew and I don't panic. I almost like it.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps sends my heart racing ten times faster than it was before. In a moment if terror, I find myself gripping the bed with my claws as the fur on my neck stands on end. I don't even remember transforming. By the time Alfred peeks his head through the door, Matthew has me cradled in his arms and is doing his best to calm me down.

"Oh, hey bro," Alfred says as he sleepily rubs his eyes. "When'd you get back."

"J-just a few minutes ago." Matthew's just as nervous as me, but at least he pulled himself together enough to be believable. I'm just laying here like a rag doll trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

"Cool. Nice cat. Wait, that's (y/n) isn't it? I keep forgetting about that. Hey, (y/n)."

I give him a small meow, which I hope doesn't sound too shaky. I'm still trying to get my feline heart to stop pounding a hundred miles a minute.

Alfred shoots me a strange look. "I thought you could talk, or maybe that was a dream. Is this a dream? I don't know..."

"Um, maybe you should go to bed and catch up on your sleep," Matthew suggests. I should have known. Alfred stays up late into the evening playing video games. Yup, he came all this way to play more video games. Typical.

He doesn't respond this time and just mumbles something under his breath as he turns toward his room. I let out a small breath and flick my ears a couple times to diffuse the tension.

"I thought he'd catch us for sure," I murmur.

"Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?"

Matthew's sad eyes fill me with guilt. "No! Not at all! It's just...I don't want him to see us...like that. It's awkward."

He nods. "Yeah, I understand."

"Sometimes I think he walks in on us on purpose." The two of us laugh at the thought, but something he said earlier still bothers me. "I'd never be embarrassed to be seen with you. You know that, right?"

His smile fades a little, but his eyes become soft. "Yes. I shouldn't have doubted. Will you forgive me?"

"Maybe." I carefully shift back into a human and bat my eyes. "But kiss me first."

He happily obliges and touches his lips gently to mine. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Forever."

"Forever."


End file.
